In general, paint films formed on exterior substrates such as buildings and building construction materials should not be affected by sunbeams, ultraviolet rays or water and should not crack or exfoliate as a consequence of the expansion and contraction of the substrate. Conventional paints, such as acrylic latex paints, are not able to satisfy these requirements, and the substrates coated by such paints tend to be exposed and corroded over time by the cracking of the paint films. Therefore, in harsh environments such as industrial and coastal areas, the substrates must be repainted every two or three years to maintain a suitable appearance.
To address these issues, silicone materials have come to be used widely in coatings of all kinds, especially exterior paints in that such silicone materials have improved properties over acrylic-latex paints. Such silicone materials can provide for the improvement in properties such as flow and leveling, primerless one coat coverage and hiding power, increased open time, adhesion to multiple surfaces, fade resistance, non-chalking, easy maintenance, and improved anti-fungal properties. However, these improved properties are only known to be present in high gloss coatings, e.g., high gloss paints, and are not extendable to other paint glosses. Attempts to address this issue generally involve the addition of matting agents to the paint composition. However, the use of conventional silica-based matting agents presents inhalation hazards, undesirably increases the costs of the paint, and negatively impacts the other desired coating properties of the paint such as the flow and rheology properties of the paint.